Dillian Whyte has called out Anthony Joshua as he targets a blockbuster rematch in 2023. AJ is still yet to confirm his next opponent after taking time off following back-to-back defeats to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk.
The two-time heavyweight champion and promoter Eddie Hearn are plotting a route back to a world title duel after a damaging run of three defeats in fivd fights. And Joshua could reignite his rivalry with fellow British heavyweight Whyte as he targets his return to the ring next year.
Whyte defeated Joshua in the amateur ranks while AJ was still a raw talent back in 2009. But the ‘Body Snatcher’ will be desperate to avenge the more significant pro fight where Joshua claimed the British title with a convincing victory in December 2015.
2012 Olympic champion Joshua knocked out Whyte in the first real test of his pro boxing career, and could make his comeback against the 34-year-old early as he plans for a more active 2023.
Joshua was ringside as Whyte edged Jermaine Franklin with a majority decision win at Wembley Arena last month. And Whyte has now laid the gauntlet down to his long-term rival, posting a photo of the duo’s last fight with the caption: “Let’s run it back.”
Whyte’s social media call-out teasing a possible rematch with Joshua came after he admitted he had ‘no idea’ what was next in his fight career following his victory over American Franklin. “I don’t care,” he said when asked if he wanted Joshua as his next opponent.
“The heavyweight division don’t bank on anything. I want whatever is next, whatever is next I will have, bro. But, I can’t control what he’s doing and what Eddie Hearn’s doing and what DAZN’s doing, I don’t know what their plan is and I can’t control that. Whatever is next is next. I have no idea.”
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It is still unclear whether Whyte will land the Joshua fight after his biggest career payday in the brutal knockout defeat to WBC champion Tyson Fury in April. But while Whyte’s performance against Franklin is unlikely to have instilled any fear into Joshua, promoter Hearn insisted before the fight that the winner is the front-runner to fight the 33-year-old.
“I couldn’t say a fight to AJ that he doesn’t [accept],” Hearn said last month. “He just wants to fight everybody. It’s just a case of whether he has an easier fight before he goes into a Deontay Wilder or a Dillian Whyte basically.
“I think Otto Wallin’s a very fair fight for AJ to come back to. Filip Hrgovic is a great fight, he’s IBF mandatory. I think the winner of Dillian Whyte vs Jermaine Franklin is a very, very good frontrunner for his next fight.”